Thermal assistance for bicycle

ABSTRACT

A pedaling assistance device for a light vehicle, in particular a bicycle, equipped with pedals and a ratio-changing transmission, this device comprising a heat engine ( 1; 101; 201 ) equipped with a reducing gear mechanically coupled with an element receiving muscular pedaling power from a user of the light vehicle, the mechanical coupling being effected upstream of said ratio-changing transmission so that the heat engine benefits from said changes of ratio, wherein the assistance device comprises a torque limiter ( 6; 106; 206 ), placed on the kinematics of the reducing gear of the heat engine between said heat engine and the mechanical coupling.

This application is a continuation of International ApplicationPCT/FR2008/000900 filed Jun. 25, 2008 entitled “Internal CombustionAssist Means for a Bicycle”, published on Feb. 5, 2009 under publicationnumber WO 2009/016284 A and claims priority to French Patent ApplicationNumber 0704566 filed Jun. 26, 2007, the disclosures of each are hereinincorporated by reference.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

For a few years, we have been seeing a growing number of bicyclesassisted by electric motor coming onto the market. These bicycles areactually designed for the cyclist to work with his assistance and theelectric motor cannot move the bicycle on its own, as in priorembodiments. The input from the cyclist makes it possible to extend theaction radius by a little, whereas the assistance provides the user withthe sensation of being very fit.

These vehicles are far from being all equivalent in their effectiveness;they differ by their motor, the kinematics through which it acts, themanagement of the assistance, the batteries and the bicycle on which theassistance is mounted.

-   -   The motors of this type of vehicle nearly all have a rated power        of approximately 200 watts, or the equivalent of what the        occasional cyclist can give at his maximum. On the other hand,        they differ by their speed of rotation, their torque curve,        their efficiency curve, their cooling, their noise, their weight        and their price.

However, with regard to our concerns, we will say that they are allfairly close and share essential qualities for this assistance work.They start on their own, offer a significant torque on stopping and atlow speeds, often revolve slowly (some are even directly geared), arefairly silent, vibrate little, and have a fairly good efficiencyprovided that they are not made to rotate too slowly.

All these qualities, we should say immediately, are cruelly lacking onheat engines.

-   -   The kinematics of the assistance motor is a crucial point of        difference between these bicycles.

On many of these assistances, the motor has a single transmission ratio,which means that it can deliver its rated power only at a single speed(often 25 km/h). The consequence of this arrangement is that theassistance power drops with the speed, which is a nuisance in head windsand dramatic on climbs. This problem is reinforced by a drop in theefficiency (reduction of the autonomy) and a motor which will rapidlyoverheat, so much so that these bicycles are unsuited to reliefs, evenif the kinematics of the cyclist offers a number of ratios.

On another, much more sophisticated, family of assistance, the motorwill benefit from the changes of ratio of the cyclist, so that thecyclist and the motor can continue their good collaboration over theentire range of variation of the ratios of the bicycle.

-   -   The management of the assistance is also of prime importance. To        satisfy certain laws, the motor must not operate if the cyclist        is not pedaling, which is, moreover, the definition of an        assistance. In fact, some bicycles do not obey this rule, but        the low installed power limits to very few occasions when the        bicycle is used without pedaling.

It is very tempting to think that the assistances based on a measurementof the torque exerted on the pedal, with a proportional response fromthe motor, provide the most appropriate system. A finer approach showsthat the torque that a cyclist exerts on his pedal is sinusoidal and,without any special arrangement, the response from the motor will alsobe sinusoidal over a pedal revolution. This detail deprives thesebicycles of a huge advantage that the assistances could provide. Inpractice, if, on the flat, the inertia of the bicycle makes these torquevariations insensitive, the same does not apply when climbing. There,the bicycle slows down at each dead point of the pedal to thenaccelerate. This is the reason why our average pedaling speed decreaseswhen climbing and it is also the reason why, given equal power, pedalingon a slope is more trying than on the flat. This torque variation isalso highly unfavorable to road holding, a particularly sensitive detailon all-terrain bicycles which have very limited capabilities in thisrespect.

Without going into the details, good management of the assistance givesa constant torque over a pedal revolution. This gives a constant torquebottom that makes it possible to easily pass the dead points of thepedal, and this considerable “rounds” the pedal stroke when climbing andwhen starting. The effect goes well beyond the added power, because itenables the cyclist to obtain, on a slope, a pedaling efficiency closeto that of the flat.

-   -   The batteries are the enormous weakness of these vehicles,        despite recent advances in the field and the basic research does        not give room to hope for storage greater than 200 Wh/kg. In        reality, we are very far from that because the energy storage        depends on a large number of parameters: the temperature, the        power drawn, the age of the battery, the number of recharges        already made, the storage durations and the recharging modes. In        reality, the best batteries offer an average of approximately        100 Wh/kg over two years of use.

If we use the analogy with a liquid fuel, even by taking into accountthe efficiency difference between an electric motor and a heat engine, akilo of battery is at best equivalent to a 50 cm³ tank that would haveto be drip-fed for at least four hours, that would shrink on eachfilling, that would leak when it is not being used, that would generallyburst after three years, in which the calorific value of the fuel woulddrop with its level, and that would be produced in a non-recyclable,very precious metal.

This analogy, which seems like a caricature, defines the challenge thatthese bicycles have to overcome.

It should be noted that a kilo of lithium-ion battery costsapproximately 200 euros (2007) and it will store, at best, in its life,500×100 wh, or 50 kwh, or approximately 5 euros of energy. The price ofthe storage is therefore 40 times the price of the stored energy.

This detail becomes apparent in all its cruelty when the user has tochange his battery (generally after two to three seasons) and surveysshow that the life of said bicycle often stops there.

All this means that these bicycles carry with them a derisory quantityof energy, approximately one hour at rated power. In some countries,laws dictate that these bicycles have maximum speeds (25 to 32 km/h),and indeed, most of these assistances are cut off at 18 km/h to save onenergy and there is then no assistance on starting. This makes itpossible, depending on the manufacturer's measurement protocol, toannounce autonomies that sometimes exceed 80 kms. In truth, most of thisdistance will be covered with zero or very low assistance. Whenclimbing, for those bicycles that are capable thereof, the autonomygenerally remains less than 10 kms.

This is truly regrettable, because some of these vehicles are trulysuccessful, their user-friendliness is such that it would be possible tobe unaware that you were on a motorized vehicle and only think that youwere in dazzling form. In towns they make it possible to cover ten or sokilometers in hot conditions without perspiring, and there is lesshesitation to brake or stop when starting is easy, which is all for thebenefit of safety. We would say, for the best of them, that they areformidable . . . for one hour. This represents a very restricted use,prohibits any trips, and greatly limits their circulation.

The idea of a bicycle assisted with liquid fuel sourced from fossil orvegetable matter resolves all the energy storage problems, but thecurrent heat engines do not have any of the characteristics specific toelectric motors.

They do not start on their own, they have a minimum slowing down speed,have little torque at very low speeds, this torque is highly variableover the cycle of the engine, they have a restricted range of use, afairly low and variable efficiency depending on the load and speed, theyoverheat a lot, vibrate, make a lot of noise and can be highlypolluting. However, they are the only ones whose technology is trulyknown, that are easy to implement and economical to produce. Also, laterwe will see some arrangements that make it possible to resolve ormitigate most of these drawbacks. These arrangements will make itpossible to design a particularly agreeable vehicle, with surprisingoverall efficiency and astonishing discretion.

To want to bring together the user-friendliness of anelectrically-assisted bicycle with a thermal assistance is not an easyobjective. Each element must satisfy multiple constraints (notablyfunction, weight, layout, ergonomics, efficiency, noise, vibration,compatibility with bicycle transmission, price), and these constraintsare so important that some elements will hereinafter be describedseveral times through each of these aspects.

Thousands of patents deal with bicycles equipped with a heat engine, butin most cases, the engine is intended to replace the pedaling.Collaboration is impossible, or possible only in very specificcircumstances, for example when climbing at very low speed or whenstarting up.

Many conditions are necessary for permanent collaboration between thecyclist and his assistance to be possible and there will be many morethereof if we want this collaboration to be effective and harmonious andgive good efficiency.

The first is that the respective transmission ratios of the cyclist andof the assistance are compatible over the entire speed range of thevehicle. This first condition limits the number of relevant patents to afew dozen. It would be quite difficult to give a summary here of thescope of these patents. We will therefore try to cite them within thelimits of our knowledge as we progress through the general descriptionthat follows, when they seem relevant to us.

Without going into the fairly complex details that define thephysiological efficiency of pedaling, we can state that the maximumefficiency of an occasional cyclist (who does not reach 0.2), lies atapproximately 60 to 70 pedal revolutions per minute and his continuousmaximum power at approximately 80 to 90 rpm.

Modern bicycle transmissions offer a large number of ratios and a bigrange of variation that can exceed 6, which means that they enable acyclist to remain at his maximum efficiency for speeds ranging forexample from 7 to 42 km/h. We will consider that they are fairlyoptimal, for most of the conditions encountered. The bicycle willtherefore be equipped therewith.

The maximum efficiency of conventional heat engines fairly easilyexceeds 0.25, so it is greater than human efficiency, but remains fairlylow and this gives a great release of heat that must be treatedcorrectly.

This efficiency is maximum only at full load and over a fairly narrowspeed range and it bottoms out rapidly outside of these conditions. Notethat the maximum efficiency speed is always close to the maximum torquespeed.

The full load condition is fairly easy to resolve; it is sufficient forthere to be almost never any excess power, and therefore for theinstalled power to be very low. This detail goes in the right direction,because with high power, the input from the cyclist would very quicklybecome negligible and superfluous.

The condition of holding to the maximum efficiency speed range is moredifficult; it excludes all the single-transmission ratio kinematics,especially as, with low power, the speed of the vehicle will beextremely variable with the wind or the gradients encountered. (Thiscondition considerably reduces the number of relevant patents.)

The first possible solution for resolving this problem is the variablespeed drive, centrifugal or driven. This possible solution posesdifficult technical problems in its application to the assisted bicycle.

Another fairly elegant solution is to use, for the engine, the change ofspeed of the cyclist, which is possible when the added power is low. Inthis case, the speed of rotation of the engine is proportionally linkedto that of the pedaling.

It is then sufficient to choose the appropriate reduction ratio, so thatthe maximum engine efficiency speed broadly corresponds to the cyclist'smaximum pedaling efficiency speed.

We immediately see that there would also be great interest in having themaximum power speeds also correspond. This is possible if the engine isdefined to have the same ratios between maximum efficiency speeds andmaximum power speeds as the cyclist, or approximately 65/85=0.76, whichis quite possible.

Thus, the cyclist will manage his speeds as he has always done forhimself, while placing the engine in the best arrangements to performits work. Also, since man is by nature particularly economic in hisenergy management, when it is he who has to provide it, this leads to anassistance management system that is free and particularly optimizedregarding the engine speed aspect, which is vitally important with aheat engine. This arrangement, accompanied by a low installed powerwhich guarantees strong charge for the engine, leads to an installationthat will mostly be used at its optimum efficiency.

As an indication, a comfortable bicycle (very straight position)equipped with large and underinflated tires may, despite everything,exceed 35 km/h, with 400 watts of power (with the same power, a racingbicycle reaches 50 km/h). These 400 watts can be distributed at 100watts for the cyclist (very low) and 300 watts for the assistance. Tosupply these 300 watts to the bicycle, we will assume that the enginemust supply 360 watts (a half horse power) to compensate for thetransmission losses.

Good heat engines can reach an efficiency of 180 g of fuel per horsepower per hour. Since we want a simple engine that will not always beexactly at its maximum efficiency, we will consider that it will use onaverage 220 g·hp·h, or 110 g of fuel per hour for our 360 watt engine.

It will take approximately 3 hours for our bicycle to cover 100 km, soits consumption will be 330 g of fuel, or a little under 0.5 liter if itis petrol, or the astonishing value of 12 g of CO₂/km (in this area, thebest cycle engines do not drop below 60 g of CO₂/km).

Note that, despite assumptions that are always highly unfavorable, thisvalue is not within the scope of an electric bicycle, unless theelectricity is of nuclear or renewable source.

This idea is not truly novel since we can find traces of it at the startof the century in French patent No. 535 184, then later in the Frenchpatent No. 915 817, then notably in the U.S. Pat. No. 3,280,932, GB 637014, U.S. Pat. No. 4,397,369, U.S. Pat. No. 5,076,386, U.S. Pat. No.5,361,863, U.S. Pat. No. 5,941,332, EP 0 822 136 A2. And yet, very fewproductions have used this theoretically highly attractive technique.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

A first aspect of the invention relates to a pedaling assistance devicefor a light vehicle, in particular a bicycle, equipped with pedals and aratio-changing transmission, this device comprising a heat engineequipped with a reducing gear mechanically coupled with an elementreceiving muscular pedaling power from a user of the light vehicle, themechanical coupling being effected upstream of said ratio-changingtransmission so that the heat engine benefits from said changes ofratio. The assistance device comprises a torque limiter, placed on thekinematics of the reducing gear of the heat engine between said heatengine and the mechanical coupling.

The torque limiter may be placed on a large wheel of a first reductionstage of the reducing gear.

The torque limiter may be calibrated to be able to transmit every bit ofthe maximum torque from the heat engine to the point of the reducinggear where this torque limiter is placed.

The reducing gear of the heat engine may comprise at least two reductionstages and comprise means of damping and/or smoothing the cyclicvariations of the torque of the engine.

The mechanical coupling may be effected at the level of a pedal of thelight vehicle.

The mechanical coupling may be effected on a power input shaft of awheel hub with epicycloidal means of changing ratios of theratio-changing transmission.

The device may comprise a first free wheel able to allow the use of thevehicle by pedaling, with the engine off, without driving the reducinggear.

The device may comprise a second free wheel able to allow the bicycle tobe pedaled backward.

The torque limiter may transmit all of a torque to be transmitted whenthis torque is less than a calibration torque and transmit thecalibration torque when the torque to be transmitted is greater than thecalibration torque.

The calibration torque of the torque limiter returned to the engineshaft may be greater than the maximum torque delivered by the heatengine.

According to the invention, a light vehicle, in particular a bicycle,comprises an assistance device as defined above.

A second aspect of the invention relates to a pedaling assistance devicefor a light vehicle, in particular a bicycle, equipped with pedals and atransmission, this assistance device comprising a heat engine equippedwith a reducing gear mechanically coupled with an element receivingmuscular pedaling power from a user of the light vehicle. The assistancedevice comprises a jacket encapsulating the heat engine.

The jacket may be joined to a casing of the reducing gear andmechanically decoupled from the heat engine, so as to vibrate less.

The jacket may encapsulate a first reduction stage of the reducing gear.

The jacket may comprise an inner wall and an outer wall between whichone or more tanks are formed that can contain a liquid.

The liquid may be a coolant and exchanges heat with the ambient air viathe outer wall, the outer wall possibly being corrugated or finned.

A tank may contain a lubricant for the heat engine.

The outer jacket may comprise a filling orifice closed by a stopper andpositioned so that the tank containing the lubricant can be drained viathe same orifice by an inclination of the device.

A tank may contain a fuel for the heat engine.

The jacket may be made of a material with low sound transmission such asa foam made of plastic material.

The jacket may comprise a packing made of sound barrier material, suchas a felt, notably a wool felt or an open-cell foam.

The engine may have liquid cooling and two ducts may pass through thejacket to allow the liquid to enter and leave the jacket, a heatexchanger connected to these ducts being arranged outside the jacket.

A lubricant may form the coolant.

An electric fan controlled by a thermocontact may generate an air streamover the heat exchanger when the cooling is insufficient.

The engine may have air cooling and a turbine may suck and discharge airinto and out of the jacket through two air inlet and outlet ductsdirected toward the rear or the sides of the device.

A flexible duct may guide the hot air from the engine to the outlet ductof the jacket, so as to avoid having hot air recirculate inside thejacket.

The air inlet and/or outlet ducts of the jacket may comprise a cellularstructure inside which the air passes.

The cooling of the engine may be a mixture of air and liquid and aturbine may suck and discharge air into and out of the jacket throughtwo air inlet and outlet ducts directed toward the rear or the sides ofthe device.

A flexible duct, placed between the cooling air suction or discharge andthe jacket, may prevent recirculations of hot air inside the jacket.

The device may comprise one or two cellular structures placed in the airinlet and/or outlet ducts of the jacket, the cellular structures beingheat exchangers.

The air inlet duct or the air outlet duct may be in communication with ahollow beam supporting the engine, the hollow beam having an opening atits posterior end.

The heat engine may comprise one or two balancing shafts.

The jacket may comprise a gas inlet orifice to supply the heat engine,this orifice being in communication with a hollow motor support, thissupport defining an air intake volume for supplying the heat engine.

The heat engine may comprise a carburetor placed outside the jacket.

The heat engine may comprise an exhaust muffler fixed to a support ofthe heat engine or intended to be fixed to a frame tube of the bicyclereceiving the saddle tube or intended to be fixed to a frame stay of thebicycle.

The transmission may be of the ratio-changing type, the mechanicalcoupling being effected upstream of said ratio-changing transmission sothat the engine benefits from said changes of ratio.

According to the invention, a light vehicle, in particular a bicycle,comprises an assistance device as defined above.

A third aspect of the invention relates to a pedaling assistance devicefor a light vehicle, in particular a bicycle, equipped with pedals and aratio-changing transmission, this device comprising a heat engineequipped with a centrifugal clutch and a reducing gear mechanicallycoupled with an element receiving muscular pedaling power from a user ofthe light vehicle, the mechanical coupling being effected upstream ofsaid ratio-changing transmission so that the heat engine benefits fromsaid changes of ratio. The engine supplies at least 80% of its maximumtorque at the speed of locking of the clutch.

The clutch may lock for a pedaling rate of less than 60 revolutions/min.

According to the invention, a light vehicle, in particular a bicycle,comprises an assistance device as defined above.

A second invention relates to a pedaling assistance device for a lightvehicle, in particular a bicycle, that is to say that it relates to anassistance device intended to be mounted on a light vehicle to assist auser in supplying a force making it possible to move the light vehicle.The light vehicle is equipped with pedals and a ratio-changingtransmission. The assistance device comprises a heat engine equippedwith a reducing gear mechanically coupled with an element receivingmuscular pedaling power from the user of the light vehicle. Themechanical coupling between the reducing gear and the element receivingthe muscular pedaling power from the user of the light vehicle iseffected upstream of the ratio-changing transmission in such a way thatthe heat engine benefits from said changes of ratios. The reducing gearof the heat engine includes a first belt-based reduction stage.

The second invention also relates to a light vehicle comprising such adevice.

A third invention relates to a pedaling assistance device for a lightvehicle, in particular a bicycle, the device comprising a heat engine.The device comprises a servomotor acting on a throttle control of theheat engine.

The third invention also relates to a light vehicle comprising such adevice.

Obviously, the three inventions can be combined together to define aparticularly advantageous pedaling assistance device. To this end,excluding technological incompatibility, any one of the embodiments of adevice according to one invention can be combined with any one of theembodiments of a device according to another invention. One embodimentcombining the various inventions is described later with reference tothe figures.

Arrangements Reducing the Stresses on the Kinematics Chain:

Questions can legitimately be raised as to the life span of a bicycletransmission, with extra power input.

A good quality bicycle transmission can support the power of a sprint,which can reach 1000 watts, or close to 2000 watts in instantaneouspower. It is these instantaneous power variations that most test thetransmission. In a first approach, given equal power, the instantaneouspower will be far more constant on an assisted bicycle than on aconventional bicycle. Provided that the background assistance isconstant and this should lead to a rather better transmission life span.

In reality, this does not apply, and certain phenomena can even lead totransmission breakdowns, because this technique has serious stumblingblocks.

The first is that the piston engines generate a variable torque overtheir cycle which tests the transmissions, well beyond the power to betransmitted.

And if these torque variations are not filtered before their arrival atthe bicycle transmission, the life span of the latter will be greatlyshortened.

The second stumbling block relates to the ratio changes. One of themajor advances in modern bicycle transmissions is that they now allowfor changes of ratio under load, which will enormously simplify thedriving of the apparatus.

Whether the ratio change is effected with dérailleurs or withepicycloidal hubs, the transition from one transmission ratio to a lowertransmission ratio will take place very well.

However, it is quite different when changing from one transmission ratioto a higher transmission ratio. In this case, the engine and itstransmission will have to undergo an instantaneous drop in their speedsand the kinetic energy variation will have to pass through the entiretransmission, to the rear wheel. In terms of sensation, this isreflected in a bump, which will be all the more violent if using a lowtransmission ratio.

For the transmission, the impact is equivalent on all the transmissionratios, it depends primarily on the rate of variation of the change ofratios and the inertia of the engine and of its transmission. In thistype of ratio changing, several times the rated power can pass throughthe transmission.

We see here that, without special arrangements, a loading of the engineflywheel in order to regulate the engine torque has a quite perverseeffect on the transmission.

The phenomenon is destructive for the entire kinematic chain, and evenif we succeed in having these instantaneous powers arrive as far as thetransmission of the bicycle, it is the transmission that will sufferwith, in the best of cases, a very short life span. However, more oftenthan not, it will have to be combined with deterioration to gearwheels,broken gear trains, broken ratio changing ratchets, chains, free wheels,spokes, valves torn out by tires that sometimes run on their rim.

The worst scenario is encountered with epicycloidal hub transmissions.Their gear trains offer very little damping, and also thesetransmissions generally offer few ratios and a large rate of variationbetween each of them. On this type of wheel, the hub is generally of alarge diameter, which confers a much greater rigidity on the spokeconfiguration. This characteristic, normally sought, further aggravatesthe situation regarding these impacts, because the very rigid wheel intruth does little damping. The whole leads more often than not to veryrapid breakdowns.

The situation with a dérailleur transmission is scarcely better; theimpacts are a little less violent, but the chains are narrower andtherefore less solid and the high transmission ratios are obtained withtiny gear wheels, in which the few engaged teeth will suffer terriblyfrom the situation.

On the other hand, the large number of ratios will make it possible toreduce the difference between two transmission ratios and this will beparticularly advantageous with the small gear wheels which willadvantageously be spaced apart by a single tooth.

The value of this instantaneous power will also depend on the rigidityof the reducing gear, the worst solution being based on non-damped geartrains. The elasticity of the reduction may improve the situation alittle, but it is difficult to spread the excess kinetic energy over asufficient duration. Moreover, a very strong elasticity leads to afairly disagreeable oscillation of the engine speed on each change ofratios, even on each pedal stroke, and these oscillations will alsooccur in all terrains on passing over each stone or irregularity, whichis a great nuisance and generates wide torque variations throughout thekinematic chain. This scenario is very probably encountered in thedevice described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,941,332.

In the device according to the invention, a torque limiter will make itpossible to correctly dissipate the excess kinematic energy.

Note that the centrifugal clutch with which the assistance will beequipped must engage, at worst, at approximately 50 rpm pedal speed, andit is at a very much higher speed that we opt for a longer transmissionratio. The clutch will therefore be firmly locked at this moment andwill not be able to correctly fulfill the role of torque limiter.

From a mechanical point of view, a hydraulic converter would offer afairly ideal smoothness, but the weight, the cost and the efficiencyloss would make it difficult to apply.

A mechanical torque limiter with friction will advantageously find itsplace on the assistance kinematics, between the engine and the junctionof the two power sources. This torque limiter will be all the lighterthe closer it is to the engine, its efficiency will be all the betterthe closer it is to the junction, because it will then absorb thekinetic energy of all of the reducing gear. Despite everything, most ofthe kinetic energy originates from the engine and a limiter placed onthe latter will already give excellent results. A good compromise may beto place it at the output of the first reduction stage, where the torqueis not yet very strong and installation is easy.

Calibration of this torque limiter will enable it to transmitpractically the maximum torque from the engine.

Friction limiters always have a releasing torque greater than theirsticking torque, and a slightly flexible transmission will furtherenhance the comfort and effectiveness of the solution.

It should be noted that it is possible to produce limiters based onleather or equivalents for the friction packing. This material gives thelimiter intermediate characteristics between visco-coupling and dryfriction. The limiter will thus often have a slight permanent slip, butit will offer very gentle damping.

Equipped in this way, the bicycle transmissions have not only theirreliability restored but also a life span comparable to that of aconventional bicycle. This is due to the fact that, at equivalent power,the power variations over a pedal revolution are much smaller than on aconventional bicycle, where the instantaneous power can reach twice thecontinuous power.

We will look later at a hydraulic version of the transmission, in whichthe heat engine drives a pump that feeds a slow hydraulic engine. Thissolution does not exempt the apparatus from a torque limiter, the lattermay be mechanical as described previously. Obviously, the hydraulicmotor will be slow and will probably not require any reduction, whichdictates a high capacity torque limiter. However, this limiter can alsobe a discharge valve.

Vibration Noises:

When equipped in this way, we will have a bicycle with exceptionalefficiency on all types of terrain, but which will make a noise ofapproximately 90 decibels at the level of its user's ears, even if it istype approved as a European moped and emits 79 dB at 7.5 meters and 30km/h. This sound level, acceptable for a moped, will rapidly tire theuser who becomes very demanding as soon as he starts to pedal.

In effect, for most individuals, the action of pedaling is associatedwith the bicycle and a bicycle makes no noise.

In reality, at 30 km/h on a pure bicycle, the noise is approximately 60dB at ear level, but this noise falls very quickly with speed becausethe noises are essentially aerodynamically originated.

The object of 60 dB at 30 km/h at ear level on our assisted bicycle, oreven better, is possible. However, this requires significant work onmost of the bicycle's noise sources.

Note that, at 100 km/h, the noise inside a luxury sudan is at best 65 dBand that 60 dB at ear level corresponds to approximately 50 dB accordingto the usual type approval measurement protocol for vehicles.

It is naturally desirable for the assisted bicycle to be as light aspossible, so as to be powerful, handleable and easily transportable.This makes the challenge of very low sound emissions that much moredifficult to achieve because lightness is a great friend of noise.

The minimum condition for a sound emission objective to be reached isalready that none of the noise sources exceed the target value and thisminimum condition is generally not sufficient. We would say that it isthe noise at the ears of the user that is important to us.

The noise source that is easiest to deal with is the vehicle exhaust.The formulae are known and if the sound muffler is given the desirablelength and volume, the result is relatively easy to obtain with the lowpowers that we envisage. Only the layout is problematical because thereis no question of degrading the ergonomics of the bicycle, nor ofprovoking risks of burns in routine use. All the same, it is desirableto direct the sound waves in a direction that is not very detrimental tothe ears. Later, we will give layout solutions that are compatible withthe desirable volume.

The serious intake noises are already far more problematical to damp. Asignificant and very rigid volume is necessary, and this is notnecessarily easy to find or place on a bicycle, especially if there is adesire not to weigh the bicycle down and compromise the esthetics. Insome cases, the volume of certain portions of the frame may be used. Wewill see later, in a particular embodiment, that this air box can beformed by the reducing gear casing(s) of the engine.

The vibrations and mechanical noises emitted by the engine and itsreducing gear pose much more difficult problems when very low soundlevels are targeted.

For the engine, the vibrations mainly originate from two quite distinctsources.

The first originates from the engine torque variations over thethermodynamic cycle, one revolution for a two stroke and two revolutionsfor a four stroke. This is a vibration that tends to make the engineoscillate about its axis in time with the explosions, which we will callcycle vibrations.

The second originates from the imbalance of the inertias of certainmoving parts when the engine rotates, which we will call mechanicalvibrations.

These vibrations generate not only noise, but also a mechanical nuisancefor the cyclist. They are therefore an irritant for the ears, but alsofor all the points of contact between the cyclist and his bicycle. Thesepoints are, in order of sensitivity, the hands, the feet and thebuttocks.

It is therefore desirable for these vibrations to be as weak as possibleand for their intensity to decrease from the saddle to the pedal, thenthe handlebar.

We will see later how it is advantageous to have the junction of the twopower sources on the pedal. It is therefore very tempting to design agear motor block including the pedal, as in the patents FR No. 915 817,U.S. Pat. No. 6,213,236, EP 0 822 136 A2.

However, this solution will generate a maximum of vibration in thepedal, which is already not very favorable. To avoid having thesevibrations transmitted to all of the frame of the bicycle, it would benecessary for the gear motor block to be mounted elastically on theframe as in the patent EP 0 822 136 and for the frame to be much heavierthan the gear motor block, which will be difficult. Failing this, it isthe cyclist who will serve as the weight, which is precisely what wewant to avoid. Moreover, this elasticity must be compatible with thepedaling forces which are considerable, which is also highlyunfavorable. Finally, any elasticity of the pedal will be reflected in aloss of pedaling efficiency which is regrettable. This configuration istherefore particularly unfavorable for achieving our objectives.

In order to greatly attenuate the cycle vibrations, it would benecessary for our engine to have a large number of cylinders, and ifpossible more than four with 4 stroke or more than two with 2 stroke,which, economically, will be more than difficult.

All the same, it should be noted that some two-cylinder solutionspresent numerous advantages in terms of mechanical balancing, whilereducing the cycle vibration value by approximately a half, but theprice will doubtless be prohibitive.

This vibration is understood to be an action/reaction of the enginecasing to the mobile equipment. It is generally maximum when slowingdown, since at this speed the engine is very close to stalling on eachcompression. It can also be very strong if a high load is demanded atvery low speed, and the engine is then said to knock.

When the engine is engaged, it is propagated in two modes, the enginecasing transmits its oscillations to the frame of the bicycle, whereasthe crankshaft propagates its torque variations through the entiretransmission to the drive wheel.

This is why a single-cylinder heat engine requires a far more solidtransmission than an electric motor.

In our case, this is not limited to an excess weight and an excess cost,but this is also paid for in noise and wear of the bicycle transmission.

It is therefore particularly advantageous to spread these vibrations.Thus, it will be best for the fixing and the coupling of the engine toallow a slight rotation of the engine about its axis. Similarly, thetransmission will have an elasticity capable of clipping these cyclicaltorque variations.

For cost reasons, the engine of the vehicle can be a very basicsingle-cylinder, without any balancing device other than its crankshaft,which will therefore generate major mechanical vibrations.

To limit these vibrations, the weight of the parts generating thevibrations must be reduced to the maximum, which is generally done, andthe weight of the fixed parts must be increased as much as possible.However, our possibilities in this area are extremely limited, since anyaddition of weight is very detrimental to the dynamic qualities of thevehicle.

We therefore have a particular interest in filtering these vibrations.

However, to effectively filter these vibrations, the elastic elementsthat support the engine must be fixed to a significant weight.

Since we want a minimum of vibrations to reach the cyclist, it is thebicycle mass/vibrating mass ratio that we will have to adjust.

A more detailed vibratory analysis of the bicycle shows that it isimpossible to consider the bicycle as a lumped mass and that it must belikened to a sum of masses that are elastically linked together. Thismeans that most of these masses have a very weak inertial role withregard to the vibrations that we want to deal with, which is alsounfavorable.

Our margin for maneuver is therefore small. One very effective course ofaction remains, one that consists in a coupling or a primary powertransmission that allows the movements that are needed to damp thevibrations of the engine. This makes it possible to rigidly fix thereducing gear to the frame, which clearly improves the bicyclemass/vibrating masses ratio. This ratio can be further reinforced bymoving certain elements of the engine to the bicycle, such as, forexample, the exhaust system, the carburetor, the ignition coil, the oiltank, the fuel tank, any soundproofing hood.

This lightening of the engine causes it to vibrate with greateramplitude, but the phenomenon can be more than compensated by theincreased effectiveness of the elastic fixings if the fixedmass/vibrating mass ratio becomes sufficiently favorable. And that willbe the case, unless a particularly heavy engine and a particularly lightframe are used (some frames weigh less than 1 kg).

The benefit of this technique is that it allows for a vibratory gain,given equal mass.

There are a large number of coupling solutions capable of giving theengine desirable degrees of freedom to make it possible to damp thevibrations. However, these solutions have a mass that is notinconsiderable, they sometimes cause a drop in efficiency and have abulk that often poses serious layout problems that we will discuss inthe layout section.

Curiously, it is precisely to resolve a layout problem that we find oneof these solutions in the U.S. Pat. No. 5,941,332. In this patent, theengine is longitudinal and placed behind the saddle, and it transmitsits power to the reducing gear via a flexible coupling with torsioncable.

The excellent aim of this is to not degrade the ergonomics of thebicycle. However, it is a great shame that this solution is notaccompanied by elastic elements for fixing the engine. Note also that noaccessory has been transferred to the frame.

This longitudinal arrangement greatly simplifies the layout problems,and it is also found in the patents GB No. 381 310, EP No. 0 822 136 A2,but it imposes the need for an angle transmission.

In the U.S. Pat. No. 5,941,332, this angle transmission is a worm screw,and this solution is particularly silent. It is a shame that it isaccompanied by other gear trains, but it does not seem that the noiseand the vibrations were a concern. However, this solution has adeplorable efficiency which is in this case aggravated by the efficiencyof the flexible coupler, which is also not good. In this precise case,it is probable that more than half of the engine power leaves as heatbefore arriving at the rear wheel. Moreover, this transmission is notreversible, which will block the rear wheel in a reverse maneuver.Finally, this type of flexible coupler is very heavy, especially if theaim is for it to withstand the power peaks from the changes of ratiodescribed previously and its excessively weak rigidity torsion-wise willdoubtless generate the oscillatory phenomena described previously.

The longitudinal axis engine solution hugely simplifies the layoutproblems and makes it possible to fit all kinds of couplers, but itimposes the need for an angle transmission which will be very difficultto silence if it is made up of angular bevel gears, and, moreover, thesolution will be heavy and costly. Much of its interest is thereforeeliminated.

Note that, if the angle transmission cannot be avoided, it will be wisenot to use it on the first stage of the reducing gear, which is thefastest and therefore the noisiest.

We will propose later a belt-driven angle transmission that can belightweight, economical and silent, but this solution greatly tests saidbelts.

One fairly particular solution in our case has a fairly large number ofadvantages; the first stage of the reducing gear is the fastest andtherefore the most difficult to soundproof, and the torque therein isalso low. There is a great interest in producing it based on a belt, andif this belt is notched, the efficiency will also be particularly good.However, this kind of assembly very poorly supports an axle spread,which would vary with the vibrations of the engine.

Note that this kind of transmission does, however, quite well supportsmall defects in the parallel alignment of the axes.

The idea is therefore to insert, as close as possible to the pulleys, akind of connecting rod that is elastic torsion-wise, between thesecondary axis and the axis of the engine.

Thus, the axle spread is kept almost constant and the engine canoscillate about its axis and vibrate in all directions, by imposing onits axis a movement on a sort of cone.

In addition to the degree of freedom allowed, the system is reinforcedby the addition of the gyroscopic inertia of the engine.

Moreover, it may be advantageous to rigidly fix the engine to theconnecting rod and allow only the rotational freedom of the connectingrod about the secondary axis. Thus, the moment of inertia of the engineis increased without its mass having to be increased, which isbeneficial to the cycle vibrations.

Finally, it will be beneficial to place said connecting rod in the axisof one of the directions in which the motor vibrates least.

Since the first stage is the noisiest, this connecting rod can form asoundproofing casing that will be designed to have a weak rigiditytorsion-wise.

This solution is applicable to a pedal engine block version, providedthat the engine is sufficiently narrow not to destroy the ergonomy ofthe bicycle. However, this solution will, despite everything, beunfavorable in terms of residual vibrations transmitted to the pedalsand in terms of sound emissions, because the body of the cyclist cannotthen screen the noise.

From a vibratory and sound point of view, there is a great benefit infixing the reducing gear, and therefore indirectly the engine, to aportion of the frame that will receive the saddle tube and moreparticularly between this tube and the rear wheel.

This solution makes it possible to distance the vibration generator fromthe nerve centers that are the handlebar and the pedals. Moreover, thesaddle and its tube constitute excellent vibration absorbers. In thisarea, the silicone gel-based saddles offer a gain of the first order.

This arrangement makes it possible to place the engine behind the saddleand, in this case, the body of the cyclist will offer a phonic screen ofhigh quality, totally free in terms of cost and weight. Other benefitsof this arrangement are the absence of heat release to the cyclist andan improvement in the work of the suspensions, if the bicycle isequipped therewith, by the increased moment of inertia of the frame.

This solution calls for the movement to be taken fairly far from theengine toward the pedal or to the rear wheel; see U.S. Pat. No.3,280,932.

In the case where the movement is transmitted to the pedal, the reducinggear will, with difficulty, include fewer than three stages. (Excludingthe solution from the patent U.S. Pat. No. 5,076,386.)

One of the best solutions combining our objectives of damping,flexibility, efficiency, cost, lightness, silence, maintenance, todistance the movement so far from the engine is to use notched belts.

Unfortunately, this will be fairly difficult for the last stage forreasons of bulk, unless the engine is genuinely a very low power engine.For this last stage which rotates very slowly, the chain is a goodcompromise, especially if it is in a casing.

However, the notched belt combines all the advantages for the secondstage or for the second and third stages if the reducing gear has fourstages, which may be necessary if the engine is very fast.

Although this or these intermediate stage(s) are slower and thereforeless noisy than the first stage, there is great interest in placing themunder a casing.

An appropriate arrangement may make it possible for this casing tofulfill multiple functions. Thus, this casing can serve as an enginemounting, soundproofing for the transmission, mudguard, baggage holder,exhaust muffler support, and, above all, air box for damping the intakenoises of the engine. And it is obviously on this casing that we willhave an interest in placing the maximum of accessories so as tofacilitate the work of the elastic engine fixings. These multiplefunctions are, of course, all to the benefit of the overall mass of thebicycle.

Beyond the movements of the engine, the engine casing itself is agenerator of sounds and it will be very difficult for us to reduce themsufficiently, without a soundproofing hood.

In a particular manner, the double jacket of an engine with liquidcooling is already a very effective phonic insulator, highly recommendedfor our application. This arrangement also allows for a completeencapsulation of the engine, which is a huge asset. However, it ispossible that this solution may not be economically viable. In thiscase, cooling by oil circulation may be an advantageous alternative.

However, it is probable that the cooling will simply be by air. In thiscase, the hood must take up the challenge of allowing the air to passand blocking the sounds as much as possible.

By its design, our vehicle can move at full power, at very low speeds,and it is not reasonable to cool it by the air stream due to the speedof the apparatus, except in the case of very much overdimensioned liquidcooling.

In its simplest version, the cooling will be by pulsed air via a turbinedriven directly by the engine. This penalizes the efficiency of theengine in all circumstances and it is preferable for this take-off to beeffective. For this, it is important for there to be as littlerecirculation as possible between the cold air inlet and the hot airoutlet. Moreover, it is preferable for these orifices to be directedtoward the rear of the vehicle so as not to emit too much noise to theuser. We will see in a preferred solution that the hot air outlet can bemade through a baggage-holder beam which is itself formed by the enginemounting. This arrangement makes it possible to effectively segregatethe streams in this turbulent area of the bicycle.

In the case where the engine mounting is not used to guide this stream,it will be advantageous to effect this hot air outlet through a duct afew centimeters long, so as to direct, in a laminar fashion, the hot airstream away from the cold air intake. Turning the cold air intake towardthe rear of the vehicle may seem highly detrimental for the air flowrate, but in reality the dynamic pressure of the air at the usual speedsof a bicycle is truly low. Also, there is in any case a great interestin directing the sound waves as much as possible toward the rear of thebicycle.

The casing that guides the cooling air from the fan to the hot portionsof the engine will already be treated as a noise attenuator, but it isdifficult not to fix this casing to the engine, and the latter willtherefore vibrate and generate noise.

The anti-noise hood will therefore preferentially not be fixed to theengine and will be sufficiently far from the engine for the latter notto touch it in its movements. Its mass will in this case reinforce themass of the bicycle in the filtering of the vibrations.

It is through the air inlet and outlet orifices of this hood that alarge proportion of the sound waves from the engine will be able toescape, the engine probably being the major noise source of the bicycle.It is possible to attenuate this noise with a small pressure drop, byplacing a structure with slender cells in these orifices. A honeycombstructure will give excellent results for a very low cost and weight.The shape of the section of the cells is of little importance, the borecan even be delimited by narrowly spaced parallel plates. The surfacearea and the length of the bore sections are, however, of primeimportance. A compromise will be found between pressure drop and sounddamping.

This structure may be a first order heat exchanger and it may be made upof the engine's liquid cooling radiators, if the latter is equippedtherewith. This constitutes an alternative to the complete encapsulationof the engine in the case of liquid cooling.

Note that a certain heat will prevail under this hood, regardless of thecooling mode. This heat will have a beneficial effect for restarts ofthe engine, which is often switched off based on this concept. However,it can hamper the operation of certain accessories, such as the ignitioncoils and above all the carburetor which then risks vaporizing the fuel,which is extremely harmful for startup. Hence a second interest inplacing these accessories on the engine mounting and if possible in acool place.

This hood will advantageously be packed internally with a sound dampingmaterial. It is worth noting the surprising effectiveness of wool feltfor the frequencies usually encountered with these small engines. Someportions of the cover may have a liquid tank function. The mass of theliquid will increase the inertia of the cover. Also, the double jacketeffect will be a particular soundproofing effect.

Reducing Gear:

Reduction is an important subject in this concept; to benefit from thechange of speed of the bicycle, it is essential to provide a junction oftwo power sources that operate at very different speeds. This can bedone somewhere between the pedal and the rear wheel, and the area hasbeen fairly well explored in the prior art.

Certain arrangements make it possible to have a slightly smallerreduction ratio; see U.S. Pat. No. 3,280,932, U.S. Pat. No. 2,596,391,EP 0 822 136 A2, FR 535 184, U.S. Pat. No. 2,331,976.

A maximum reduction ratio is necessary if we want to make a junction onthe pedal, which is not very favorable in terms of weight and cost.However, this arrangement allows the manufacturer great freedomconcerning the choice of type of change of speed, which can, forexample, be epicycloidal in the wheel hub, more conventionally withdérailleur, or a combination. Generally, this architecture will becompatible with most of the ratio changing systems, which makes itpossible to create a large family of bicycles with one and the sameassistance.

Moreover, this choice leaves great freedom for the design of thesuspensions, which is not necessarily the case with the other solutions.

This reducing gear must have a good efficiency, be silent, if possiblereversible (which makes it possible to run backwards), be light,economical and capable of damping the cycle vibrations. It also needs tofit on a bicycle without destroying its ergonomy. Note that, at theoutlet, its torque may exceed 10 kgm.

Its design would be simpler with a slow engine, but the many compromisesneeded to develop the bicycle will probably lead to a maximum powerspeed of between 6000 and 10 000 rpm, which dictates a high reductionratio.

If the efficiency is disregarded, the worst solution is the gear trainwhich will be heavy, costly, noisy, will not damp, unless a damper isadded which further adds to the weight of the solution.

The major difficulty of this design is that we envisage sound levels fortwo wheels with heat engine that are hitherto unknown. The gear trains,even straight ones, are usually very suitable for a moped. Here, theiruse is undoubtedly possible but with production qualities that cannotnecessarily be envisaged.

For the first stage, the least noisy solution is the multi-V flat belt,but it does not support the instantaneous power variations due to speedchanges well and it must be overdimensioned. These belts can, at thelimit, act as a torque limiter with an appropriate tension, but theslipping generates a noise that is difficult to deal with and itconsiderably limits the life span of the belt. Moreover, the efficiencyis less good than that of the notched belts, especially if a tensioneris added, which is difficult to avoid. Some trapezoidal belts with avery small section can also be wound on very small-diameter pulleys andcan be used, but they are in fact very close to the multi-V flat belts,which are also belts with oblique contact.

There is a notched belt in the U.S. Pat. No. 5,361,863 for thetransmission of the movement without reduction from the motor to acentrifugal clutch, in order to move the clutch from the engine to thereducing gear and probably thus save a few centimeters of width. For astrange reason (probably to keep an identical speed), it is clearlydescribed that the reduction originates from the other stages. Thistransmission therefore does not seem to be a first reducing stage, but acoupling.

The notched belts are full of advantages for the reducing gear, lowernoise than the gear train, cost, lightness, absence of servicing,abrasion resistance, damping and efficiency. Despite everything, theirnoise is not negligible at high speed, which is above all difficult withthe first stage. Certain arrangements are therefore de rigueur, if avery low sound level is the aim. The noise from a notched belt dependsmainly on its linear speed and the tooth volume. We therefore have aninterest in having the drive pulley as small as possible, which, givenequal reduction, also leads to a weight saving. The pitch willadvantageously be less than or equal to 5.08 mm and the quality of thebelt will be as good as possible, so as to be as narrow as possible forthe power to be transmitted. Some silent versions have indeed emerged.

Despite that, except with a very slow engine, the first stage soonbecomes one of the main noise sources of the bicycle.

The first measure is to place this stage under a casing, this casing canhave the role described in the vibration section. This casing can alsobe located under the engine soundproofing hood.

In most cases, above all if the torque limiter is effective, it will bepossible to use a pitch less than or equal to 3, which is highlyeffective. It will also be possible to hollow out the bottom of eachtooth on the pulleys, with an air evacuation groove. Similarly, it willbe possible, without affecting the primitive diameter, to eliminate acertain tooth ratio on the large pulleys, because the latter have alarge number of teeth engaged. Another arrangement is to place twonarrow belts side by side, or to provide a central notch, a littledeeper than the teeth, on the perimeter of the toothed wheel. All thesemeasures reduce the speed of the air expelled and sucked in by the beltteeth.

Note that the large primary transmission pulley is a position of choicefor the torque limiter. Moreover, this position enables the limiter toreceive a torque that is already slightly smoothed by the flexibility ofthe first belted stage.

Note, too, that this primary transmission will be one of the elementsmost eccentric relative to the median plane of the bicycle, and it isimportant for it not to hamper the cyclist in his movements. We will seein the layout section that it can be placed in positions that offerlittle hindrance, or that the engine can be laterally offset to allowthe transmission to extend less from the median plane.

Finally, this primary transmission can be a belted angle transmission.

The technique consists of carefully placed rollers that enable the beltto twist and form a right angle. This arrangement fatigues the belts butallows a longitudinal arrangement of the engine, which enormouslysimplifies the layout of an engine which will have to include manyaccessories on its shaft and which will therefore be made narrow onlywith difficulty.

This solution is compatible with the anti-vibration arrangementsdescribed previously.

The second stage is much slower and poses fewer noise problems. Althoughthe torque is stronger, the notched belts still combine a large numberof qualities for this work. And in the preferred arrangement, theyadditionally allow for a significant axle spread, which facilitates thetransport of the movement to the pedal which is fairly distant from theengine. A pitch of 5 or 5.08 will be particularly silent for this work.This belt can operate in the open air, but it would then be a littlemore noisy and vulnerable to splashes of water and mud, or branches inall-terrain situations, which may be detrimental to operation. We haveseen that there is great interest in placing this stage under a sealedcasing and to use this casing for many other functions, including airbox for the engine. In this case, we have an interest in placing two airfilters, a large one at the air inlet of the casing and another betweenthe engine and said casing.

Sometimes, it may be necessary to use a four-stage reducing gear, and inthis case the work of the third stage will advantageously come withinthe same context.

Note that, in the case of an engine-reducing gear-pedal block, thenotched belt solution for the intermediate stages presents feweradvantages, the significant center-to-center distances of the solutionand the great width increasing the bulk. However, the flexibility, thesilence, the cost, the lightness and the absence of servicing, despiteeverything make it a very good solution. This solution is even betterwhen the engine sucks into the casing of these belts, which genuinelyconstitutes a very good sound damper.

We will return to the subject in the layout section and in a particularembodiment.

For the last stage, and above all if we transmit the power to the pedal,the movement will be very slow in the regions of 100 rpm at maximumspeed, and the torque will therefore be very great.

At such low speed, the chain offers numerous advantages in terms oflateral bulk, weight, cost, resistance, possible reduction ratio,efficiency and even damping. However, it demands a system for adjustingits tension, it quite poorly withstands abrasion, bad weather, and mustbe lubricated. At the low speeds concerned, it can be very silent.

One of the greatest advantages of the chain is that it can operate onpinions of very small size, in some cases, it is possible to go as lowas seven teeth. And if this characteristic is allied with a small pitchand a belt the size of the chain ring of the bicycle, the last stage canoffer a considerable reduction ratio that can more than exceed 10. Thiscan be very useful on the project, above all for the production ofbudget versions. This characteristic has its limits in our case, becausea ratio of 10 means that the small pinion will rotate at approximately1000 rpm and at this speed, its noise will not be negligible.

Moreover, the small pinions have a polygonal effect which increases veryquickly with the reduction in the number of teeth. This polygonal effectdestroys the usually good efficiency of the chains and the deflection ofeach link leads to rapid wear of the chain. This polygonal effect alsogenerates harmonics in the transmission that will test the transmissionof the bicycle and generate noise. A compromise is therefore necessaryand it will be preferable to have a small pinion of more than 9 teeth ifpossible. In all the cases in point, there is a great interest inspreading these vibrations. This can be done fairly simply with a ringgear made of plastic material and appropriate openings. The longevity ofthe small pinions may be increased by a tensioner on the slack side,which increases the number of teeth engaged. The slack side never workson this concept, this tensioner can be automatic, based on elasticpressure.

The choice of double or triple chain makes it possible to reduce thepitch of the chain, which allows, with equal reduction, pinions withmore teeth and this is all to the benefit of the efficiency, longevityand silence.

We note the existence of a simple chain, specially for go-karting, thatis particularly well suited to our case with a pitch of 7.6 mm; thischain allows for a high reduction ratio and, from its great width,offers an astonishing resistance for very low weight.

Another advantage of this type of chain is that it is also available ina lifetime lubricated sealed version which is far more resistant toabrasion. These qualities are paid for by a slight drop in efficiencyand an extra cost.

For reasons of longevity and safety, it will be advantageous to placethese chains under a protective casing, if possible sealed and capableof containing oil.

The chains are therefore interesting from a bulk, cost and reductionratio point of view, but they are not without defects. Nor are thesolutions based on gear trains.

In some cases, when the layout and power permit, the notched belts canalso take over the final reduction task. At such low speed, they areparticularly silent, but their low resistance to tearing and to jumps ofteeth dictates a large belt width and a large number of teeth engaged.The reduction ratio will therefore be fairly low, which will transferthe reduction issue to the other stages, of which there will thendoubtless be 3. At such low speed, the notched belt even becomes fairlyheavy per Watt transmitted. However, this solution is clean,servicing-free, fairly economical, very silent, flexible and presentsless danger to the user. Their use is therefore not without advantages.

This solution can also replace the chain in our preferred version, whenthe torque and layout permit.

We will see later an engine-reducing gear-pedal block version, totallybased on notched belts.

In the case where the aim is a highly compact engine-reducing gear-pedalblock, it will be possible to use gear trains preferably with obliquedisks for the final stages, which are the slowest. If the reducing gearhas four stages, the second fairly rapid stage can use a large pinionmade of plastic material so as to reduce the noise.

Another solution is to give a high reduction ratio to the first beltedstage so as to greatly diminish the speed in the gear train stages, ofwhich there can then be 2. This solution may be highly compact if thelarge pulley necessary for the first stage is concentric to the bottombracket axle and placed on the side opposite to the bicycletransmission. This large pulley transmits its movement into the reducinggear casing with gear train through a spacer that rotates about thebottom bracket axle.

Despite their first belted stage, these two solutions will offer lessdamping of the cycle vibrations, which will fatigue the transmission ofthe bicycle more. The fitting of an additional flexible element into thekinematic chain will then be strongly recommended.

In the case where the change of ratio is effected with an epicycloidalhub, the chain can also be replaced by a notched belt.

The U.S. Pat. No. 3,280,932 describes a solution in which the powerjunction is effected on the epicycloidal hub of the rear wheel. Thebenefit of this junction is that it demands a lower reduction ratio,that can be achieved in only two stages. It is obvious that therelevance of this solution can be greatly enhanced by all thearrangements described previously. Similarly, it might be advantageous,in an embodiment with rear suspension, to place the intermediatereducing shaft in the axis of the articulation of the trailing arm, soas to be able to fix the engine to the frame and thus reduce thesuspended masses.

The reducing gear can also be hydraulic, and in this case the enginedrives a pump, and a slow hydraulic engine transmits the movement to thepedal or to the wheel as in the U.S. Pat. No. 3,280,932. So as to be alittle lighter, the hydraulic engine can possibly transmit the movementthrough a mechanical reduction stage. The torque limiter can be apressure relief valve. This attractive solution, which greatlysimplifies the layout, will probably be fairly costly and of a fairlylow efficiency and not necessarily be very silent.

Layout:

Since our aim is not to create a moped on which it is possible to pedal,but indeed to create an effective bicycle with assisted pedaling, itwould be fairly unfortunate for some mechanical members to degrade theergonomy of the bicycle.

The main difficulty stems from the area swept by the feet and the legsof the cyclist when pedaling, which is considerable, and which we willcall pedaling area. This pedaling area covers almost all the surfacearea of a conventional horizontal tube frame, apart from a small surfacearea behind the stem. With large feet, the heels almost touch the rearfork. We can define a volume swept by the feet and the legs of thecyclist when pedaling, and we call it pedaling volume. No element shouldbe located within this volume. The pedaling area is in fact theprojection of the pedaling volume onto a plane that is vertical andlongitudinal to the bicycle.

For good ergonomy, it is essential for the legs to work in two parallelplanes. And since it is not easy to widen the user's pelvis, this meansa separation of the crank arms relative to the median plane of the framewhose values must be contained within a very narrow range, unlesspainful and ineffective pedaling is accepted.

Without going as far as adapting this value to the width of the pelvisas some professionals do, a value of 100 mm between the outer face ofthe crank arm and the median plane is considered to be the extreme limitof what is tolerable for an average body.

Moreover, many countries impose a minimum ground clearance angle forbicycles, with the pedal in the bottom position, in order to avoidcontact between the pedals and the ground when the pedals are turning.And it goes without saying that a great clearance of the pedals meansplacing the pedal higher and therefore the saddle also, which soon leadsto it being impossible to place the feet on the ground when stopped. Andthis detail is not without importance on a bicycle which may be designedfor urban use.

Again for reasons of ergonomy, the modern crank arms are no longerstraight (perpendicular to the bottom bracket axle) but oblique. The aimof this obliqueness is to avoid the ankle rubbing against the outer faceof said crank arm. If this obliqueness and the minimum thickness of thepedal at its fixing on the bottom bracket axle are taken into account,we find ourselves at best at a distance of 65 mm from the median plane,which leaves very little space for the layout of a mechanism. This smallvalue, which leads to an offset of 100 mm, which is already poor from anergonomy point of view, is valid only for the left side.

On the transmission side, the problem is reinforced by what is calledthe chain line. If the bicycle is equipped with standard wheels, themedian pinion, if it is a 9-pinion wheel, is located 45 mm from themedian plane and it is at this distance that the average chain ring gearof a triple chain ring gear must be placed. This distance is what iscalled the chain line and its objective is to try to limit theobliqueness of the chain on the opposing pinions and chain rings.Obviously, a double or single chain ring gear must also be centered onthis chain line.

All this leads to a distance of approximately 35 mm between the chain onthe small chain ring gear and the median plane, a distance from whichthere must also be subtracted a few millimeters for the passage for thechange of chain rings.

It would, moreover, be particularly regrettable not to observe the chainline on a design in which the chain will have additional work to carryout.

These constraints make the layout extremely difficult and they will befurther supplemented with others. We can already see that the space forlocating an engine-pedal block will be more than has been calculated.

From this point of view, we note the astute design of the patents GB 637014 and U.S. Pat. No. 2,596,391, which have made it possible to containthe pedal offset within reasonable values, by virtue of an ingeniouspedal reducing gear and crank arms that are in this case straight.However, these embodiments do not include any centrifugal clutch, norforced cooling, the multiple chain rings are impossible and the noise isnot a concern.

The chain line may be a little more favorable in the case of atransmission with epicycloidal hub. However, it would be regrettable todesign an assistance that can function only with this type of ratiochanging.

By departing from the current standards, when it comes to wheels, it ispossible to save a few millimeters on the chain line, with wheels thatare wider at the hub than the current 135 mm. This saving, bounded bythe ergonomy limits described previously, would, despite everything, bea great advantage in our case. In any case, a width of 150 or 160 mmshould be possible.

In other points of the pedaling area, the space is even more reduced,because it is then necessary to add morphological peculiarities:knock-knees, thick calves, projecting ankles, large thighs, smallpelvis.

Only two placements are easier, the engine can easily be located betweenthe stem and the passage of the knees or behind the saddle.

The first placement had its glory days at the start of the century andafter the war. It is the placement that offers the easiest layoutwhether for the engine or for its reducing gear, whether the movement istransmitted to the pedal or to the rear wheel.

However, the engine is positioned at the front seat, to diffuse noises,vibrations into the handlebars, heat and possibly smells to the user,and the ease of layout is paid for dearly in terms of inconveniences tothe user.

The second solution is not without drawbacks, the baggage holder willlose a certain volume, the engine can be a hindrance in certain extremepostures used in very steep descents when the cyclist retracts hisbuttocks beyond the saddle, and finally the use of a baby seat will beproblematic.

A motorbike approach might raise fears of raising the center of gravitytoo high. In fact, this rather gives a certain stability to a vehiclewhich is fundamentally lacking therein.

Although the layout of the engine is fairly easy behind the saddle, thetransmission of the movement to the pedal is not simple because it mustrun in the pedaling area through places where the space is mostrestricted. Moreover, the probable presence of forks will considerablyamplify the difficulties for the passage of the movement.

Only the U.S. Pat. No. 5,941,332 seems to have circumvented thesedifficulties by the use of a flexible cable and an engine withlongitudinal axis, but with the drawbacks described already.

On the other hand, this rear arrangement makes it possible to place anengine of fairly large dimensions with no particular difficulty inroutine use. It distances the vibration generator from the handlebarsand from the pedals and eliminates all the heat nuisances. It also makesit possible to have the engine with a transverse axis, with theadvantages that have already been seen.

However, above all, with identical technologies, the engine behind thesaddle gives a considerable advantage over the other solutions when itcomes to noise.

This solution can be accompanied by a bicycle frame that is veryconventional in its conformation, which is not the case with animplementation based on engine-reducing gear with pedal.

To describe the difficulties to be overcome, we will begin with thearrival of engine power at the pedal.

It is tempting to have this power arrive on the side of the transmissionof the bicycle. This is, moreover, what the predecessors have done, asis known from the U.S. Pat. No. 4,397,369, U.S. Pat. No. 5,076,386, U.S.Pat. No. 5,361,863.

This solution is hazardous in more than one respect, firstly we haveseen that the chain line leaves very little space available toward theframe, it leaves even less thereof when the presence of the chain staysof the bicycle are considered. As a general rule, the chain staysreceive what is called the handle blow, which is a deformation of thechain stay on the transmission side to allow the large chain ring gearto take its place without touching said chain stay. This leaves littlespace for the transmission of the movement if the aim is to observe thechain line and place the two free wheels necessary to the automatictransition from assisted bicycle to conventional bicycle, while allowingfor easy rear pedaling.

The arrival of power via the side opposite to the bicycle transmissiondemands the presence of a spacer that revolves inside the bottom bracketshell, but this revolving spacer will be difficult to locate in astandard BSA housing, but a slightly larger USA standard housing may beappropriate. The bottom bracket axle can have a rotation within thisrevolving spacer, for example when wanting to pedal backward, but itwill drive the spacer when pedaling forward by virtue of a free wheel.It is also there that the junction between the two power sources ismade.

This arrangement allows for the mounting of a ring gear of the samediameter as the large chain ring gear with no drawbacks, the diametermay even be larger if a reduction in ground clearance is accepted. Afree wheel will be placed between this ring gear and the revolvingspacer so that the pedaling can be done with the engine stopped withoutdriving the reducing gear. Moreover, the space available between thepedal and the chain stay may, in certain cases, allow a transmission bynotched belt. This solution leaves the transmission side of the bicycleintact, which makes it possible, among other things, to use multiplechain rings.

For the next stage, which will advantageously be with notched belt, twosolutions are possible, the movement can pass into the axis of thebicycle in front of or behind the saddle support tube or on the side ofthis tube and sufficiently offset not to touch the tire.

Placing this stage behind the saddle tube means elongating the chainstays, so as to leave sufficient space for the reducing gear stagebetween the saddle tube and the wheel. However, this arrangement isalmost necessary on this type of vehicle which will have genuinelysurprising crossing capabilities. And without an elongation of the wheelbase, it will be quite difficult for the cyclist to keep his front wheelon the ground. The top end of this second stage can be placed in such away as to allow the arrival of the first stage outside the pedalingarea, which is of great interest if the engine is wide. With thissolution, the movement will generally pass between the forks, if thebicycle is equipped therewith, unless the latter are positionedparticularly low.

It is also possible to place the second stage in front of the saddletube, but this imposes an arrival of power from the first stage in thepedaling area. This solution will often impose the need for anoff-center engine, so that the primary transmission brushes against thesaddle tube and any forks. The inverted Y forks are particularlyrecommended to allow the movement to pass without excessively distancingthe primary transmission from the median plane.

The second solution with a second stage on the side of the saddle tubeallows for a more standard wheel base, but it is limited in the possiblebelt width. The situation will be all the more critical if it must alsoavoid the rear tire which can be wider than the saddle tube.

Generally, the primary transmission, which is one of the members mostoffset from the median plane, will direct the movement to the pedal andtherefore toward the pedaling area.

Failing the availability of a particularly narrow engine capable ofbeing located in the pedaling area, an offset engine can make itpossible, at the output of the primary transmission, to enter into thepedaling area. This arrangement makes it possible to place the enginejust at the edge of the pedaling area, which can present certainadvantages when it comes to layout, notably a greater compactness.

So as to limit how far the primary transmission extends from the medianplane, when the centrifugal clutch is located on the engine, it will bepossible to move the clutch outside the small pulley of the primarytransmission. In this arrangement, the bearing of the clutch bellhousing is formed by the pulley itself. This assembly makes it possibleto save more than 20 mm on the offset, which can be a great help if thetransmission needs to come within the pedaling area.

Later, in two particular embodiments, we will deal with the case of theengine-pedal block.

In all the cases in point, the layout of the exhaust muffler(s) will beproblematic unless a very high sound level is accepted.

On a bicycle without rear suspension, the exhaust muffler(s) can be in anon-hindering place along the forks. This placement places them outsidethe pedaling area and directs the noise and heat toward the back of thevehicle, which is ideal.

On a bicycle with rear suspension, the problem is even more difficult,unless a rear-positioned engine is adopted. In this case, the exhaustmuffler(s) will be located on the engine mounting behind the saddleabove the rear wheel. They can even form the baggage holder providedthat they are covered with a thermal protection.

This arrangement behind the saddle tube will still be advantageous withan engine-pedal block, but then the exhaust muffler will be fixeddirectly to the tube supporting the saddle tube and it will largelyoccupy the same position as the engine mounting of our preferredembodiment and it can serve as mudguard and even as baggage holder withappropriate insulation.

Assistance Management:

In its simplest version, the user uses a throttle to manage the enginetorque and therefore the desired assistance value. This value will notchange as often as the power invoked on a moped and a control byrotating handle with automatic return when slowing down is not veryrecommended. A lever control, arranged so as to be able to be controlledwith the hands on the handlebars, stable in the required position, ismuch more agreeable. This management is not automatic and it requiresthe throttle to be cut in order to stop. However, the low installedpower allows emergency braking without cutting the throttle. The mostproblematic usage error arises if the engine is stopped at full throttleand it is restarted from stopped without remembering to throttle up fromthe idling down position. In this case, the bicycle will want to moveforward even though that is not what is desired. The problem will betruly a nuisance only if a small gear ratio is engaged, where the motiveforce of the bicycle may be difficult to counter.

This incorrect use can be made impossible, if the contact breaker canonly be actuated when the throttle is cut, or if the contact breaker isactuated by a forced displacement of the throttle control beyond theidling position.

Similarly, the throttle control can be coupled to the braking, an actionon one or both brakes provoking a return to the idling position. Thiscan be done very easily if the braking device and the throttle controlare mechanically or hydraulically coupled.

When equipped in this way, the bicycle is not really assisted since itcan be used on the engine only. However, in reality, stopping pedalingalmost always means stepping down one or more ratios and the differencein performance with or without pedaling is such that the bicycle willvery rarely be used on the engine only.

According to a more sophisticated embodiment, the assistance is equippedwith a throttle, a servomotor and a pedal rotation detector. The userstill manages the throttle which defines the assistance torque, but thiscontrol is made active only if the pedal rotation detector gives thecommand to the servomotor to activate the throttle. The rotationdetector can distinguish between the two directions of rotation, abackward rotation being likened to stopping pedaling. An additionalcontact or a mechanical arrangement can allow for a transition to manualmode, a mode that is more effective in certain uses, such as, forexample, all-terrain use. Note that the servomotor operates inall-or-nothing mode and, to perform its work, it can, for example, acton the cladding of the throttle cable: by elongating the latter itactivates the throttle. It can also form part of the throttle control.

According to an even more sophisticated management mode, the bicycle isequipped with a device for monitoring the torque on the pedals, arotation detector, a throttle servomotor and an information monitoringunit. Numerous devices allow for the torque to be measured on thepedals, but it may be more simple to monitor the variations in forcesexerted by the bottom bracket shell on the frame.

When stopped, the torque can be measured on any angular position of thecrank arms, but the acceleration command will be given to the servomotoronly when a significant rotation has been registered. Then, the torquewill be measured twice every pedal revolution at two precise angularpositions and the assistance will be constant between two measurementsas long as the crank arms rotate. The throttle will be instantaneouslycut if the pedals stop or reverse their direction of rotation. In astill finer management, the measurement is still taken at two preciseangular positions, but measurements are taken and recorded over theentire pedal revolution, and on the next pedal revolution, the enginetorque may be modified if one of the values varies significantlyrelative to the preceding revolution. Obviously, the newly stored valuewill replace the old one. The control unit may also receive otherinformation, such as braking, switch selecting different assistancemodes, engine speed, engine temperature, ratio change indication,accelerometer and inclinometer.

At the Output, the Unit can:

Inform the rider if the engine is running, which is very useful incertain circumstances (in towns, the ambient noise conceals the noise ofthe engine when idling, and the same when descending).

Switching off the assistance in case of braking, even if torque androtation are detected.

Giving ratio change indications, or even managing changes of ratio.

Reducing the throttle when a change of ratio to a higher transmissionratio is detected.

Indicating the instantaneous or average power supplied by the cyclist.

Limiting the assistance when the engine is cold or too hot.

Informing on the number of hours of operation of the engine, in order tofacilitate maintenance.

Informing the cyclist of his average pedaling rate.

Limiting the maximum speed.

Stopping the engine when a fall is presumed.

The unit can make a detailed diagnosis of the user's pedaling rates, inorder to customize the reduction ratio of the reducing gear, forparticular pedaling types (very fast or very slow).

The Engine:

We will begin this section with an assumption of external combustionengines, whether steam or Stirling, these engines can offer numerousadvantages for our application. Some are self-starting and have a strongtorque on startup. Their efficiencies can be very good, especially forthe Stirling, they are multi-fuel, their continuous combustion is veryclean, they often run slowly, they are very quiet and vibrate verylittle for certain models (rhombic Stirling, 90° V configurationStirling, slow steam machine). Some boilers for the steam offer almostinstantaneous heating. Unfortunately, their techniques are notcontrolled, or at least not very well controlled, so their applicationswill be difficult, which is undoubtedly a great shame.

Internal combustion engines cannot start on their own, so it is notreasonable to stop them each time the bicycle is stopped. Moreover, theycannot supply significant power at their idling speed. A centrifugalclutch or a torque converter (low in efficiency) will enable them toreach a sufficient speed to offer reasonable power. It would even bedesirable for the engine to be able to support its full load, during theslipping of the clutch or of the viscous coupling.

A user may want to pedal very slowly continuously. In this situation, arate of 50 rpm is possible. However, it is difficult to envisage havingthe centrifugal clutch slip permanently. This clutch must therefore beengaged as late as possible, toward 45 rpm pedaling. To be fairlyuniversal, our assistance must be able to accompany the cyclist up to atleast 90 rpm.

This means that the engine must have a usage range of at least 50% ofits maximum speed, which is quite large for a single-cylinder.

This constraint has to be supplemented with another which is moredifficult to obtain, that of having a torque that decreases over theentire pedaling range. This means that the torque from the engine mustbe at its maximum when the clutch is engaged and obviously this torquemust not drop too quickly to be able to accompany the cyclist to a highpedaling speed.

Failing this condition, the collaboration between assistance and cyclistwill not be harmonious.

As an example, on a gradient it will be particularly disagreeable tohave to supply an acceleration force to reach a pedaling rate where theassistance will have the desired value. Similarly, when approaching aslope, the assistance will drop with the speed, which will make theslope variation feel much more difficult than it is. This will oftenmean stepping down several ratios, and then, when the torque speed isrestored, we will probably be in over-assistance mode. This leads veryquickly to an unstable speed, which fairly soon becomes labored. Also,in this situation, it will be more a case of pedal-assisted motoringthan the opposite.

Whereas with an assistance curve that decreases with the pedaling speed,the assistance is reinforced when the pedaling speed decreases, whichirons out the difficulties, reduces the number of ratio changes neededand makes riding easier.

In fact, the cyclist will react like an extremely sensitive power bankand the slightest dip in torque will be felt.

To illustrate this transmission a little, if we disregard the noise, anengine that has, for example, a maximum power of 400 watts at 8000 rpm,a maximum speed of 9000 rpm, with a maximum torque at 4500 rpm, amaximum efficiency at 6000 rpm, and an idling speed of 3000 rpm, wouldbe ideal if coupled to a reducing gear of approximately 100/1 and aclutch that engages at 4500 rpm.

Note that such an engine could have a cubic capacity of less than 10cm³, so it would be particularly light and compact, but itssoundproofing and that of the reducing gear would be particularlydifficult to obtain at such high speed, for the desirable levels.

An engine that has its maximum power at 4000 rpm, a maximum speed of4500 rpm, a maximum torque at 2250 rpm, a maximum efficiency at 3000 rpmand an idling speed at 1500 rpm, would also be fairly ideal with areducing gear of 50/1 and much easier to render silent.

It would, however, have a much larger cubic capacity, be heavier andmore bulky. However, a reliable idling at such a low speed will bedifficult to obtain on an engine that is to be lightweight. Similarly,it will be very difficult to avoid knocking at the maximum torque speedwhich is actually very low, unless a very large size flywheel werefitted, which would add much more weight to the solution.

We therefore find that the engine will probably have a maximum power atapproximately 6000 rpm which will necessitate a reduction ofapproximately 75/1 which is considerable and not within the scope of allthe technical solutions.

Obviously, it is possible to accept a torque that increases by a fewpercent after the clutch has engaged, but this will be reflected in aninconvenience of use that will be all the greater when the variation isstrong.

This characteristic can also be used to favor average pedaling speeds,which will be all to the benefit of safety and totally within the spiritof the product.

Two-stroke engines will find it very difficult to satisfy theseconditions without costly devices, and their polluting emissions andtheir efficiency may not be good without other devices, also costly.These engines require a highly restrictive mixture of oil and gasolineor an oil pump which is also costly. And even if no regulation requiresthe engine to be depolluted, two-stroke engines give off fumes whichwill be highly irritating if riding in a group. Moreover, theaerodynamic turbulences always return smelly fumes to the clothes, whichwill be impregnated therewith, which is also a major inconvenience, somuch so that their use will be difficult or little recommended.

This is a great shame because these engines are compact, very light,generate fewer cycle vibrations, and fewer mechanical noises thanfour-stroke engines.

The characteristics that we want are, however, fairly easy to obtainwith a four-stroke engine, especially if no specific high power isrequired, which is the case.

In this particular application, the noise and the vibrations aredrawbacks of the first order. Moreover, without having a longitudinalaxis, the width of the engine will pose significant layout problems.Numerous accessories have to be driven by the engine. In the worst case,the engine must drive a flywheel, an ignition device, a fan, itsdistribution, an oil pump, a water pump, a torque limiter, a centrifugalclutch, a power outlet, a starter device and an electric currentgenerator, and it is very difficult to produce a narrow engine if allthese accessories are located on the engine shaft. There will thereforebe great benefit in distributing these accessories over other shafts. Wehave already seen that the torque limiter can be located on a shaft ofthe reducing gear, as can the clutch, but with certain drawbacks.Obviously, if the engine is a four-stroke, a cam shaft can be usednotably for the water pump. The movement is already reduced and it wouldbe highly attractive to use this shaft as power outlet. We can alreadyfind a trace of this technique in the patent FR 535 184. In fact, thispossible solution poses as many problems as it resolves and itsselection is not obvious.

In our case, the addition of one or more shafts driven by the engine maybe a great help for driving accessories.

Moreover, the way the vibrations are treated takes on a particularsignificance on our apparatus, so there would be a great benefit inequipping our engine with balancing shafts and we immediately see thatany balancing shafts can also have a drive function for certainaccessories.

From a cost-effectiveness point of view, it is difficult to imagine anengine other than single-cylinder for our application. All the same, wenote the clear interest from a vibration and cyclic regularity point ofview in 180°-offset flat two-cylinder engines or, to a lesser extent,90° V configuration two-cylinder engines.

The ideal would be a 180°-offset flat two-cylinder engine with its twocylinders in the same axis, which raises serious problems in theconnecting rod design.

We note in this section that a very poor use is always possible (exceptin the case of speed changes managed by the electronic unit). Thus, anuninitiated person could attack a slope on a very high transmissionratio, with an excessively low pedal rate for the clutch to engage,which would lead after a certain time to overheating and evendeterioration of the element. This consequence can be avoided by athermocontact placed close to the clutch that is capable of stopping theengine in this situation.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Other advantages and characteristics of the invention will become moreclearly apparent from the appended drawings, given by way of nonlimitingexamples, in which:

FIG. 1 represents a perspective view from the left of the firstembodiment of a bicycle.

FIG. 2 represents a perspective view from the right of the firstembodiment of a bicycle.

FIG. 3 represents a perspective view of the first two reduction stagesof a first embodiment of a pedaling assistance device.

FIG. 4 represents a cross-sectional view of a torque limiter.

FIG. 5 represents a cross-sectional view of a bottom bracket shell.

FIG. 6 represents a perspective view from the right of the pedal.

FIG. 7 represents a perspective view from the left of a reductioncasing.

FIG. 8 represents a perspective view from the right of a secondembodiment of a pedaling assistance device.

FIG. 9 represents a perspective view of the kinematics of the secondembodiment.

FIG. 10 represents a perspective view in cross section of the secondembodiment.

FIG. 11 represents a cross-sectional view from above of the secondembodiment.

FIG. 12 represents a perspective view of the kinematics of a thirdembodiment of a pedaling assistance device according to the invention.

FIG. 13 represents a cross-sectional view from above of the kinematicsof the third embodiment.

It should be noted that, in FIGS. 8 to 13, the crank arms aredeliberately represented symmetrical relative to the vertical andlongitudinal plane of the bicycle in order to better represent the spaceavailable for locating the assistance device without interfering withthe movement of the crank arms. The crank arms are naturally normallyfitted at 180° from one another.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF VARIOUS EMBODIMENTS

FIG. 1 shows a particular first embodiment in which the engine (1) isplaced behind the saddle, and the bicycle is of very conventionalarchitecture. Only the chain stays (2) are a little elongated so as toclear sufficient space for the reducing gear casing of the second stage(3). This elongation is also designed to avoid the lightening of thefront wheel on steep inclines.

In order to bring the length to a fairly standard value and reduce theforces on the bicycle transmission chain, the wheels have a diameter of24 inches. In this drawing, the assistance is placed so as to allow fora rear suspension with extensive travel. However, the bicycle couldequally be rigid, and in this case the forks will be fixed to the tubesupporting the saddle tube (4) and the engine and its mounting (2) willbe placed lower.

In this embodiment, the engine (1) and its primary transmission (5) areoutside the pedaling area, so that their offset from the median planehas no effect on the pedaling ergonomy. The engine (1) and its primarytransmission (5) therefore do not need to be particularly narrow. Thisdetail allows for the mounting of a primary notched belt (16) that isfairly wide, which allows for the use of a pitch of 3 mm which is all tothe benefit of silence. Moreover, the width can allow two belts to bemounted side by side or a pulley with central channel to be used inorder to further reduce the noise. For the same reasons, it is alsopossible to crop a certain ratio of teeth on the large pulley whilepreserving its primitive diameter.

The movement is then sent into the axis of the bicycle on the secondreduction stage with notched belt, which is placed in the casing (3) andit is that which will cross any forks. The movement will therefore passbetween the forks if the bicycle is equipped therewith.

In this view, the cover of the flexible casing of the primarytransmission (5) has been removed so as to show the torque limiter (6),which also serves as a large pulley for the first reduction stage. Wecan also see one of the elastic fixings (7) of the engine (1). Themovement leaves the secondary casing via the pinion (8), which, with thechain (9) and the ring gear (10), constitutes the third and final stageof the reducing gear. This ring gear (10) is in this case made ofreinforced plastic material and includes openings (11) intended to makeit less rigid, to damp the speed variations of the chain (9) due to thepolygonal effect of the pinion (8). The chain (9) is in this case aspecial go-karting model with a pitch of 7.6 mm. This ring gear (10) isfitted on a free wheel (12), so that the reducing gear is not drivenwhen pedaling without assistance. This free wheel (12) is mounted on arevolving spacer which will transmit the movement to the chain rings(13) of the bicycle transmission.

The secondary casing (3) is fixed to the saddle tube (4) by clamping,using screws that squeeze the part (14). By its deflection, this saddletube (4) helps to filter the residual vibrations.

We can also see the layout of the two exhaust mufflers (15 a) and (15 b)on the rear portion of the casing (3), which can in this position findall the space needed without any nuisance to the user.

FIG. 2 shows a right-hand perspective view of the bicycle, in which theright-hand muffler (15 a) and the cover of the secondary casing (3) havebeen removed. This reveals the layout of the second reduction stagebased on notched belt inside the casing (3). This second stage, with apitch of 5 mm, consists of the small toothed pulley (17), its belt (18)and the large pulley (19). Here too, the width available inside thecasing (3) is fairly large and the arrangements already described toreduce the noise of the transmission will be possible. Note that thislayout, which allows for the use of fairly wide belts, is compatiblewith fairly high powers.

In this embodiment, the casing (3) serves as an air box for the engineintake. For this reason, the secondary casing (3) is advantageouslyequipped with at least one central pin (20), so as to limit thevibrations of the edges of the casing under the effect of the pressurewaves generated by the engine intake. The air enters into this casing(3) through a tube (21) whose diameter and length will be defined toattenuate certain nuisance frequencies.

The rear beam (22) of the casing (3) is intended to channel the hotcooling air, and the noise, toward the back of the vehicle and avoid anyrecirculations of hot air toward the cooling air intake. Also shown inthis beam (22) is a muffler (23), in this case consisting of a honeycombstructure, the cells of which are oriented in the direction of thestream. If the engine has liquid cooling, this muffler (23) may be aradiator. The hot air duct (24) has a flexible junction with the enginecapable of supporting the vibratory movements of the engine.

Note that this casing (3) will have, for this particular embodiment, thefollowing functions: soundproofing of the second stage, engine mounting,engine intake air box, mudguard, baggage holder, exhaust mufflermounting, hot cooling air outlet orifice and increasing the inertia ofthe frame.

The right crank arm (25) is equipped with a free wheel (26) whichcollaborates with a chain ring gear mounting (27), said free wheelenabling the pedaling power to be transmitted to the chain ring gearmounting (27) and the rear pedal. These details are more clearlyapparent in the cross-sectional view of the pedal in FIG. 5.

FIG. 3 shows the engine and the first two reduction stages. The flexibleconnecting rod casing (5) of the primary transmission can be clearlyseen here. In the assembly selected for this embodiment, the engine isrigidly fixed to the primary casing (5), because the center-to-centerdistance of the primary transmission is fairly large. This makes itpossible, given equal weight, to increase the moment of inertia relativeto the axis of oscillation embodied in the sheath (28) of the casing(5). This sheath (28) is intended to collaborate with a power inletferrule of the secondary casing (3), so as to leave the casing (5) andtherefore the engine (1) free to rotate relative to this ferrule. Theangle formed by this casing (3) with the engine (1) is chosen tocorrespond to a direction of weak vibration of the engine.

In this case, the engine is mounted only on two vibration dampers, whosefixing holes (30) can be seen. However, the number and thecharacteristics of these dampers must be adapted to each engine bytaking into account the torsion and deflection stiffnesses of theprimary casing (5).

This figure shows the adjustment device (29) for the torque limiter,consisting of nuts that squeeze elastic washers. Similarly, theplacement of the manual start mechanism (92) for the engine (1) can beseen. This mechanism (92) is a conventional cord starter. The startinghandle will advantageously be placed between the saddle and thehandlebars using appropriate gears.

FIG. 4 shows a cross-sectional view of the torque limiter (6). The largeprimary pulley (31) is free to rotate on the shaft (32), by virtue ofthe self-lubricating bearing (33). The friction plate (34) is fittedclamped onto the axis (32). These two members can be made of a lightalloy, but on quality versions, a surface treatment will reinforce thefriction surfaces; this treatment can be a hard anodization. Thefriction packing washer (35) is in this case made of leather so as toobtain a very gentle slip, but other more conventional frictionmaterials may be appropriate. This washer (35) will include holes in thecase of leather or radial grooves in the case of rigid frictionmaterials, in order to facilitate cooling and the evacuation of dust.The pulley (31) receives its axial thrust via the rolling bearing (36).In some cases, when the thrust is compatible, this rolling bearing (36)can be a simple ball race with increased play. This rolling bearing willact as a rolling bearing with slightly oblique contact with asignificant cost benefit. This rolling bearing (36) receives its axialthrust from a tie rod (37), which is in turn tensioned by nuts (38) thatsqueeze elastic washers (39) against the shaft (32). The torque-limitedmovement is then transmitted to the small pulley (17) of the secondstage.

FIG. 5 shows a cross-sectional view of the bottom bracket shell. Thering gear (10) through which the power arrives at the pedal is mountedon a free wheel (12), through the intermediary of a ring gear mounting(41). This free wheel (12) is mounted on a revolving spacer (42) placedinside the bottom bracket shell (43).

The proposed assembly makes it possible to use a standard bicycle freewheel. This is of great economic benefit because designing a light freewheel capable of withstanding strong torques is difficult. Here, thelink rotation-wise is provided by screwing the free wheel (12) to abutagainst a shoulder (44) of the revolving spacer (42).

The spacer (42) transmits the movement to the chain rings (13) (45) by achain ring gear mounting (46). The rotation of this chain ring gearmounting (46) is in this case stopped by left-hand threading on therevolving spacer (42), said chain ring gear mounting (46) abuttingagainst the right-hand bottom bracket shell rolling bearing (47). Aspacer (48) takes up the axial clamping force and transmits it to theleft-hand rolling bearing (49), which transfers it to the shoulder (50)of the revolving spacer (42). A nut (51) screwed into the bottom bracketshell (43) blocks the left-hand rolling bearing (49) inside the bottombracket shell.

This arrangement allows most of the chain rings (13) (45) to be mounted,whether single or multiple. Also, the rear wheel can receive adérailleur, epicycloidal or hybrid ratio changer.

The revolving spacer (42) includes bearings (52 a) (52 b) intended toallow the rotation of the bottom bracket axle (53) in the revolvingspacer (42). The relative movement of the bottom bracket axle (53) inthe revolving spacer (42) is occasional, so these bearings (52) can besimple bushings made of antifriction plastic material, or steel bushingspacked with PTFE, which is particularly economical and light, and notvery bulky.

The bottom bracket axle (53) is in this case force-fitted onto the rightcrank arm (25). The latter receives a free wheel (26), in this case ofbicycle type, screwed to abut against a shoulder (54) of the right crankarm (25).

The teeth or the holes of the ring gear of this free wheel (26)collaborate with the cylindrical screw head (55) joined to the chainring gear mounting (46) and thus communicates the pedaling torque to thechain ring gear mounting (46). This assembly allows for small defects ofconcentricity and alignment between the free wheel and the chain ringgear mounting, which simplifies production.

The other end of the bottom bracket axle (53) is splined, as is theleft-hand crank arm (56), which also has a clamping device (47). Theleft-hand crank arm (47) is placed abutting against a friction washerand clamped, which allows for the lateral play of the pedal to beadjusted.

FIG. 6 shows more specifically the collaboration between the free wheel(26) and the chain ring gear mounting (46). Here, the ring gear (59) ofthe free wheel (26) of bicycle type does not have any teeth, but fourholes (58). The chain ring gear mounting has four counter bores (60)intended to receive the cylindrical screw head (55). The head of thesescrews (55) receives the torque transmitted by the holes (58) of thefree wheel (26). The device operates just as well with a ring gear (59)that has teeth instead of holes (58) provided, obviously, that thecounter bores (60) correspond to the tooth gaps.

FIG. 7 shows the articulation of the flexible primary transmissioncasing (5) on the secondary casing (3). This articulation works by freerotation of the sheath (28) of the casing (5) on the power inlet ferrule(40) of the secondary casing (3).

So that the primary casing (5) has weak rigidity torsion-wise, the coverof the primary casing (not represented) is fixed by central screws thatfit into tapped holes (61).

Also visible is the air suction hole of the tube (21) intended to allowair to enter into the secondary casing (3) for the engine intake.

Some arrangements are not represented, and the centrifugal clutch isplaced on the engine so as to be as light as possible. It could beplaced on the outlet of the first stage with a greater weight andgreater difficulty in production to obtain an accurate sticking speed.The clutch on the primary transmission outlet on the other hand offers abetter distribution of weight by lightening the engine and making theengine mounting heavier, which is to the benefit of the operation of theelastic fixings (7) of the engine, and likewise this reduces the widthof the engine.

The carburetor, not represented, is fixed to the engine mounting (3), ifpossible outside the engine soundproofing casing (not represented) andfeeds the engine through a flexible duct capable of withstanding themovements of the engine. The length and the diameter of this duct willbe tuned so as to favor the establishment of the engine torque at thedesired speed.

The air filter will be located between the carburetor and the enginemounting casing (3), so as to protect the engine from releases of fibersand rubber from the secondary transmission. Another, coarser filter maybe located on the air inlet orifice (21) of the secondary casing (3) soas to protect the transmission.

The soundproofing engine cover (not represented) will advantageouslyencompass the reduction primary casing (5), it includes a cooling airinlet directed toward the rear of the bicycle. This air inlet isadvantageously fitted with a honeycomb-configuration sound muffler. Thiscould also be a radiator if the engine has liquid cooling. This cover isfixed to the engine mounting (3), it comprises two half-shells fixed tothe engine mounting (3) and to each other, using ski boot-type leverfixings. This soundproofing casing is made of plastic foam and includesinternal packing of phonically muffling material, in this case woolfelt.

The engine will advantageously be equipped with one or two dynamicbalancing shafts. Similarly, the cooling will preferably be liquid.Here, the engine continuously drives a fan and the air stream entersinto the soundproofing cover (not represented) and leaves therefrom. Theengine is therefore not boxed in.

The throttle comprises a hand lever that is stable in the requiredposition, until the brake is actuated. This function is provided by thereturn force of the brake handle which acts on an element that increasesthe friction of said throttle hand lever. It is placed on the handlebarsabove the handle of a brake, preferably on the right.

The contact breaker works on a forced position of the hand lever beyondthe idling position.

According to a first variant that is not represented, the large widthavailable on the primary transmission allows for the use of multi-V flatbelts. The advantage of these belts is that they can be wound on smalldiameter pulleys. A tensioning roller may be needed for the tension andto increase the arc of contact of the belt on the small pulley. Theefficiency of these belts is less good than that of the notched beltsand it will often not be possible to box in the transmission in anon-ventilated casing. In this case, the transmission willadvantageously be placed under the engine soundproofing cover. Anothersolution is to have the engine suck into the primary casing, whichconstitutes ventilation that is generally sufficient. In this case, aduct will lead the air from the secondary casing (3) to the primarycasing (5). In this case in point, the air filter will be moved to anappropriate point to protect the engine from dust.

According to a second variant that is not represented, one of the crankarms receives a disk, in this case made of plastic. This disk can beused to avoid contact between clothes and one of the right or lefttransmission ring gears. However, its main function is to collaboratewith a crank arm rotation detector.

For this, the periphery of the disk includes holes or teeth whosemovement and direction are perceived by the detector.

An all-or-nothing servomotor acts on the sheath of the throttle cable.If a rotation of the crank arms is detected in the right direction bythe rotation sensor, the servomotor elongates the sheath and thusactivates the throttle.

According to a third variant that is not represented, the engine hasliquid coolant and the engine is totally boxed in its soundproofingcover. The cooling air stream does not pass under this cover. Theradiator that is exposed to the air stream due to the speed of thevehicle provides the normal cooling for the vehicle, but an electric fanreinforces the stream when it is inadequate.

The radiator will not provide any thermal nuisance to the cyclist if itis placed on the engine mounting (3) symmetrically to the primarytransmission (5).

In this version, the portion of the exhaust pipe that is under thesoundproofing cover is doubled up with an insulating jacket.

According to a fifth variant that is not represented, the chain of thethird stage is replaced by a notched belt. The width of this belt islimited by the presence of the chain stays of the frame, so this variantcannot have significant power.

FIG. 8 shows a perspective view of a second particular embodiment inwhich the assistance consists of an engine-reducing gear-pedal blockentirely produced on the basis of notched belts. The engine (101) andits primary reduction casing (105) are in this case placed in the axisof the main casing (103) in order to simplify the drawing. However, itis obvious that the casing (105) and the engine (101) can assume otherorientations for reasons of layout or to counter the vibrations. Thepower enters into the main casing (103) through the side of the chainline, in this case the right side.

This type of assistance is mounted on an unconventional bicycle frame;this frame will notably not have any bottom bracket shell. The maincasing (103) will include fixing tabs that are not represented, whichwill make it possible to fix it to the frame, to receive the elasticfixings of the engine and, possibly, to receive a rear suspensiontrailing arm. The casing (105) has the same functions as in the firstembodiment, and the same applies for the torque limiter (106) thatprotects the bicycle transmission.

It should be noted that, with this type of assistance, the vehicle bearslittle resemblance to a bicycle and visually looks more like a moped.

FIG. 9 shows the kinematics of the assistance that comprise four stages.Here, the clutch (162) is transferred outside the small primarytransmission pulley, which allows for a somewhat larger engine if theengine does not come within the area swept by the crank arms.

The kinematics are as follows: the engine communicates the movement tothe clutch (162) through the small primary pulley which is joined to theclutch bell housing and free to rotate about the engine shaft.

The movement then goes to the large primary pulley which also serves astorque limiter (106), which transmits it to the intermediate shaft(163). The movement then goes to the small pulley (164) of the secondstage which is fixed to the intermediate shaft (163). Then, the movementgoes to the large pulley (165) of the second stage which is joined tothe small pulley (166) of the third stage, and the assembly is free torotate on the bottom bracket axle. The movement then leaves for thelarge pulley (167) of the third stage, which is joined to the smallpulley (168) of the fourth stage. The assembly is free to rotate on theintermediate axis (163). Finally, the movement arrives at the largepulley (169) of the fourth stage which transmits it via a free wheel toa revolving spacer, which in turn transmits it to the chain ringmounting (146). The movement transmitted by the crank arms to the chainring mounting (146) is effected as in the first embodiment.

In this embodiment, the large and small pulleys can have the same numberof teeth and the same pitch, on the last three stages; only their widthschange as a function of the torque that they transmit. The reductionratio is in this case close to 3 for each stage and the selected pitchis 5 mm.

FIG. 10 shows a cross-sectional perspective view of the secondembodiment, and this figure shows that overall this embodiment mainlycontains air and this embodiment can be very light.

Obviously, the main casing (103) will serve as an air box for the engineintake. For this, all the ball or needle bearings are of the sealed andlifetime lubricated type.

This view shows the articulation of the primary casing (105) through itshollow shaft (128) which can rotate about the power inlet ferrule (140)of the casing (103). The revolving spacer (142) is shorter than in thefirst embodiment. Despite its four stages, the efficiency is fairly goodbecause most of the friction occurs at low differential speeds and thefriction torques are in this case engines on the last three stages.

However, the small width available for each stage will limit theallowable power.

FIG. 11, in cross section, clearly shows the use of the space availablefor each function. The cross-section shadings are not drawn to avoidcluttering up the drawing. The joint plane of the main casing (103) isin the axis of the median plane of the bicycle. Here, the drawing limitsthe crank arm offset relative to the median plane of the bicycle, to avalue less than 100 mm described previously in the layout section.

It can also be seen that the engine can be slightly wider if it does notenter into the area swept by the crank arms.

Some layouts even allow it to be placed outside the pedaling area, whichallows for an even wider engine, provided that it is off-center.

It can be seen that there is a big space between the intermediate shaft(163) and the left crank arm (156) that is unused. We will see how tooptimize this space in the third embodiment, with a solution that isapplicable to this second embodiment.

According to a variant that is not represented, the reducing gear casing(103) is partitioned and the last stage uses a chain.

According to a variant that is not represented, the casing ispartitioned and the last stage is geared, an additional gearcompensating for the difference between axes.

FIG. 12 shows a perspective view of the kinematics of a thirdembodiment, organized as a particularly compact engine-reducinggear-pedal block, consisting of only three reduction stages. The firstis belted and the next two are geared.

The main particular feature of this embodiment is that the large pulley(231) of the first stage is concentric with the bottom bracket axle(253). This assembly allows a very large diameter for this pulley whichcan even exceed that of the large chain ring (213) of the bicycletransmission, if a reduction in the ground clearance of the bicycle isaccepted.

This pulley (231) transmits the movement to the torque limiter (206),which will transmit it to the small pinion (281) of the second stage,via the revolving spacer (282). The movement then goes to the largepinion (283) of the second stage, which is joined to the small pinion(284) of the third stage. The pinion (284) therefore transmits themovement to the large pinion (285), which transmits the movement to thechain ring mounting (227), via a free wheel and a second revolvingspacer.

The large reduction ratio of the first stage makes it possible to limitthe speed and therefore the noise of the following two gear stages. Thefirst belted stage gives a certain flexibility to the transmission todamp the cycle vibrations.

This first stage is in this case produced on the basis of multi-V flatbelts. A tensioning roller can be added to allow the tension to beadjusted and increase the winding arc of the belt (286) on the smallprimary pulley.

This primary transmission will advantageously be placed in a flexibleprimary casing, as in the other embodiments.

FIG. 13 shows the kinematics in cross section along a plane passingthrough the three axes (pedal, intermediate, engine), which in this caseare aligned for reasons of representation. A particular arrangement ofthe large pulley (231) makes it possible to offset its belt path (287)beyond the internal face (288) of the left crank arm (256). Thisarrangement frees up a lot of space for the layout of the other membersand allows a larger width for the engine (201). This arrangement isapplicable for the second stage of the second embodiment.

In the figure, the engine (201) does not enter into the area swept bythe crank arms and in this case the displacement of the centrifugalclutch (262) outside the small pulley (289) also frees up width for theengine.

The main casing that is not represented supports the pedal rollingbearings (290 a) (290 b) and the rolling bearings of the intermediateshaft (291) and contains oil. It cannot therefore serve as an air boxfor the engine.

According to a first variant, the first stage uses a notched belt.

According to a second variant that is not represented, the second andthird stages use notched belts.

According to a third variant that is not represented, the very narrowand preferably balanced engine forms a single and rigid block with thereducing gear, of which all three stages are geared, all enclosed withinthe casing. One of the stages will include a cycle vibration damper.

1. A pedaling assistance device for a light vehicle, in particular abicycle, equipped with pedals and a ratio-changing transmission,comprising: a heat engine equipped with a reducing gear and a mechanicalcoupling to mechanically couple the reducing gear with an elementreceiving muscular pedaling power from a user of the light vehicle, themechanical coupling being effected upstream of said ratio-changingtransmission so that the heat engine benefits from said changes ofratio, wherein the assistance device comprises a torque limiter, placedon the kinematics of the reducing gear of the heat engine between saidheat engine and the mechanical coupling.
 2. The device as claimed inclaim 1, wherein the torque limiter is placed on a large wheel of afirst reduction stage of the reducing gear.
 3. The device as claimed inclaim 1, wherein the torque limiter is calibrated to be able to transmitevery bit of the maximum torque from the heat engine to the point of thereducing gear where this torque limiter is placed.
 4. The device asclaimed in claim 1, wherein the reducing gear of the heat enginecomprises at least two reduction stages and comprises means for dampingand/or smoothing the cyclic variations of the torque of the engine. 5.The device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the mechanical coupling iseffected at the level of a pedal of the light vehicle.
 6. The device asclaimed in claim 1, wherein the mechanical coupling is effected on apower input shaft of a wheel hub with epicycloidal gearing means ofchanging ratios of the ratio-changing transmission.
 7. The device asclaimed in claim 1, which device comprises a first free wheel able toallow the use of the vehicle by pedaling, with the engine off, withoutdriving the reducing gear.
 8. The device as claimed in claim 1, whichdevice comprises a second free wheel able to allow the bicycle to bepedaled backward.
 9. The device as claimed in claim 1, wherein thetorque limiter transmits all of a torque to be transmitted when thistorque is less than a calibration torque and transmits the calibrationtorque when the torque to be transmitted is greater than the calibrationtorque.
 10. The assistance device as claimed in claim 9, wherein thecalibration torque of the torque limiter returned to the engine shaft isgreater than the maximum torque delivered by the heat engine.
 11. Alight vehicle, in particular a bicycle, comprising an assistance deviceas claimed in claim 1.